Leonard hinkle



(No Model.)

. .L. HINKLE.

CLAMP CARPET STRETGHER.

No. 456,001. Patented July 14,1891.

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WITNESSES I X v INV//Ei/ITOR .Y 4 ./ttorney ms mums persas co., mum-urna, wAsmNaTcn n c l UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

LEONARD IIINKLE, OF INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA.

CLAM P CARPET-STRETCH ER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 456,001, dated July 14, 1891.

Application tiled December 15, 1890. Serial No. 374,853. (No model.)

To all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, LEONARD 'HINKLBL a citizen of the United States, residing at Indianapolis, county of Marion, and State of Indiana, have invented a new and useful Carpet-Stretcher, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved clamp or vise carpet-stretcher which enables the operator to stretch the carpet within a few inches of the wall Without staytacking or using separate tools. It is also intended to obviate the use of awls, knee-stretchers, and other devices commonly used as auxiliaries and which are more or less injurious to the carpet.

The invention consists in certain particulars of construction and novel combinations of parts, which I will now particularly describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side elevation showing my improved carpet-stretcher in operation. Fig. 2 is a plan view, the stretching -lever being partly broken away; and Fig. 3 is a partial vertical central sectional view showing the jaws open.

My improved stretcher consists of a body portion A, having at one end a knee or pressure plate K and at the other a ixed jaw J, a movable jaw J', carried by a lever B, having a cam-surface, which is pivoted to the body A, a cam-operating lever C, also pivoted to the body, and a stretching-lever D, connected to the cam-operating lever by a link or other suitable connection. The lever B, I shall hereinafter denominate a cam-lever. The body portion A is preferably formedwith a strengthening-rib a, and near the jaw end this ribisbifurcated,andbetweenthebranches a extend pins or wr'ists b c, upon which the cam and its operating-lever are pivoted. The knee or pressure plate has downwardly-proj ecting calks k to securely hold the carpet in place on the iioorafter it has been sufficiently stretched, and the jaws are provided with intermeshing ribs jj to insure a firm grip on the carpet, the lower jaw being also provided with an upturned lip J2 for the same purpose. The cam-lever is preferably shaped like a goose-neck in general outline and is rectangular in cross-section. The cam-operating lever is preferably of inverted-U shape, the legs of the U extending down on either side of the cam-lever. The cross-piece of the U bears upon the cam -surface when the stretcher is operated. A pin or rivet c is passed through the cani-operating lever below the cam to lift the latter when the lever is thrown back. The cam-surface of the lever B is of such shape that said lever will at rst move rapidly in closing; but when it is about to grip the carpet it moves more slowly and with greater power, and finally l the carpet with great force.

The cam-operating lever is united to the stretching-lever by a strong connection. As

shown, the connecting medium consists of a hook h, which is passed through an eye in the upper end of the former lever and linked to an eye swiveled in the latter. The stretching-lever is made with one or more sharp points at its lower end to engage' the wood, preferably two, and a handle of some sort at its upper end.

In stretching carpets with my improved machine the `jaws are opened, as shown in Fig. 3, bythrowing back the operating-lever. The edge of the carpet is then inserted and the jaws closed, as seen in Fig. l. The points of the stretching-lever being now made to engage the floor at. the lower edge of the baseboard, and the upper end being pushed toward the wall, it will first cause the jaws to clamp the carpet very tightly, by reason of the action of the cam-lever, and then draw the ward the wall. Vhen the carpet is sufficiently stretched, pressure upon the knee-plate will hold it in position while the jaws are opened and the edge of the carpet properly tacked down.

It will be evident that various changes in details of construction can be made without departing from the spirit of my invention, and it is therefore to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction and arrangement'of parts shown.

What I claim is- 1. In a carpet-stretcher, the combination, with the body portion having a knee-plate at one end and a fixed jaw at the other, of a pivoted cam-lever carryinga movable jaw, acamgrasps whole stretching-machine and the carpet to IOO consisting of the body7 knee-plate, and fixed lower jaw provided with `rib j and lip 3'2, in combination with the cam-lever pivoted to the body and carrying a movable jaw with rib j', and a earn-operating lever pivoted to the body between the cam-lever pivot and the fixed jaw and connected to a stretching-lever, zo'

substantially as set forth.

l LEONARD HINKLE. Witnesses:

EDWIN WETHERBY, JNO. T. PLUMMER. f 

